Once there was a family who had a son. He was an amazing son. His parents were so proud of him.
A burglar broke in one night and murdered this son. His parents were devastated. He was their pride and joy.
At the trial of the man who murdered their son, the parents stood up and claimed that they forgave this man. They even offered to let him come into their home and live.
They treated him like family and even let him move into their son’s room.
When you think about it, that is what God did for us. Our sins are the reason Jesus went to the cross. But God not only forgives us, but He also loves us and adopts us as His children.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” Ephesians 2:19
Praise God for His mercy and grace!
What is Grace and Mercy in the Bible
Examples of grace and mercy are shown over and over again in the Bible. As a matter of fact the word mercy is mentioned in 262 times in the Bible.
Often we use these words interchangeably. However, there is a difference. Grace is a gift we don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting the punishment we do deserve.
Just like when God forgives us for our sins, He not only offers us eternal life (grace) but also does not allow us to go to hell when we die (mercy).
Noah is a perfect example of this. The Bible tells us that God regretted creating humanity and was ready to destroy them. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Gen. 6:8
Noah was not a perfect man, but He loved the Lord and was faithful in trying to live his life for God. Because of this, God showed Noah and his family grace, and this saved humanity.
A few other examples of God’s grace are the story of Moses, Abraham, and Sarah, the children of Isreal, and David. That is just in the Old Testament!
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8
Mercy is forward forgiveness. It is choosing to offer forgiveness because we have the love of Christ in our hearts. That is what God does for us.
I have learned so much about God’s love and mercy from my children. I know they are not perfect and will make mistakes. God knows that about us.
Because I know my kids are going to make mistakes I have already decided that I will forgive them because I love them. That is what God does for us as well.
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Bible Verses About Grace and Mercy
Of all the verses in the Bible, two of my favorite ones are Lamentations 3:22-23. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Doesn’t that just make you want to jump up and sing praises?!
Bible Verses About God’s Grace and Mercy
There are many great scriptures about the grace and mercy of God!
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,” Ephesians 2:4
“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:9
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” Micah 7:18
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5
Do you notice a recurring pattern in these verses? God covers us in His grace and mercy because He loves us. He loves you and because he loves you, He freely gives you grace and mercy.
Bible Verses about Giving Grace and Mercy to Others
Praise God for his good gifts of grace and mercy to us. He tells us over and over that his mercy endures forever.
How do we show others the grace and mercy that God has given us?
Grace is a gift. We receive God’s grace because He loves us. Just like we extend grace to our children or loved ones simply because we love them.
Mercy is when we choose to show compassion. Have you ever had someone be angry with you and not speak to you for days? This is a form of punishment.
Mercy says, “Yes, you hurt me or made me angry, but I am choosing to continue to show you kindness because I love you.” Even though you could choose to give the same treatment, you do not.
In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus gives us an example of how to pray in what is known as the Lord’s Prayer.
Verse 12 especially says “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We are instructed to show mercy to others because God shows us mercy.
Matthew 18:23 – 34 tells the story of a servant who owed the king a great debt. The king was going to throw him in prison but he pleaded for mercy. The king granted him mercy and forgave his debt.
However, the servant then had another servant thrown in prison who only owed him a small debt. The king found out and became angry, The king had him thrown in prison because he refused to show the mercy that had been given to him.
In Matthew 18:35 we are told that is what will happen to us. If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
And in Proverbs 14:21
“Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. As those who have undeservedly received the grace of God, we can do nothing else than show favor and mercy to those around us. We just have to be as merciful as God!”
Bible Verses about Mercy and Forgiveness
Just as Jesus shows us how to pray in the Lord’s prayer we are given other examples of showing mercy and forgiveness as well.
Ephesians 2:1 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,” – this is our condition before we come to Christ. But keep reading because it gets much better!
Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19
What a blessing to know that all of our sins have been forgiven and thrown into the depths of the sea!
How Do You Pray for Grace and Mercy?
God has given us several examples of grace and mercy. The Bible is filled with verses reminding us of His great love for us and His mercy never comes to an end.
God’s grace and mercy are amazing gifts and reminders of his love. However, it is still important that we recognize our need for His grace and mercy.
So how do we pray for grace and mercy? As always God gives us direction in His word.
Hebrews 4:16 tells us “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
This verse tells us that we are to come to God and ask for His grace and mercy.
We recognize that we need His grace, mercy, and forgiveness of our sins so we come to God as our Father and ask. Just like our children ask us for help when they need it.
Ephesians 4:32. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Colossians 3:12 – 13 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
So by this, we are told to just ask for God’s grace and mercy of forgiveness.
God’s grace and mercy are free gifts we are given just because He loves you. Think about that, the creator of the universe loves you so much, He freely offers you grace and mercy.
All you have to do is ask. The Bible tells us over and over that God loves us. He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. All because He loves us.
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Meet the Author
Karen is the founder of Warrior Women Blog. She is a wife of 29 years, mom to 5, and Gigi to 2 amazing grandkids. Warrior Women Blog was created to help women grow in their faith through prayer and Bible study. Recently, her ministry is evolving into being a resource to help women use the power of prayer and Bible study to cultivate peace and joy in the midst of struggling with their husbands or adult children dealing with addiction.